Barbara Walters retiring after 52 years in television

Reports: Trailblazing TV journalist will step down in May 2014

Barbara Walters will retire in May of next year, a source familiar with her plans told Reuters on Thursday. (Deadline Hollywood broke the story; Read it here.)

The 83-year-old executive producer and co-host of "The View" has struggled with health issues in recent months. A slip and fall sent her to the hospital earlier this year. That was followed by a bout with chicken pox.

"The View," one of the most successful daytime talk shows on television, is in the process of a radical overhaul with several of the original co-hosts gone or about to go.

Walters was the first female co-anchor of a network morning show at NBC's "Today" in 1974. She was also the first woman to co-anchor an evening newscast on network TV when she joined ABC News' Harry Reasoner at the anchordesk in 1976. The pairing was a disaster with Reasoner consistently trying to undermine her.

Walters also served as anchor/host on the ABC newsmagazine "20/20" for almost two decades. Her prime-time celebrity interviews, particularly those pegged to the Oscar telecasts, became a pop-culture staple.